Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Presents Collection, Reframed: Jiha Moon
Korean American artist places her work alongside Bechtler’s collection to examine representation of women across time
Press release and images courtesy of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Images:
Jiha Moon, Mama Dance, 2013, Ink and acrylic on Hanji, 36 x 40 ½ inches. Collection of Sheryl V. Bucci.
Jiha Moon, Jay Skin 4 (Nest), 2025, Porcelain, underglaze, glaze, and acrylic, 13 x 9 x 3 inches. Courtesy of the artist; Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami; and Toshkova Fine Art Advisory, Charlotte.
Jiha Moon, Open, 2022, Porcelain, underglaze, and glaze, 7 x 8 x 8 inches. Collection of Nina and James Jackson.
Jiha Moon, Peach Mask 4 (Love), 2014, Ink, acrylic, and tie-dye fabric on Hanji, 40 ½ x 38 ½ inches. Courtesy of the artist.
Charlotte, NC – June 1, 2026 – Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is pleased to present Collection, Reframed: Jiha Moon, the latest installment of the museum’s annual summer exhibition series that invites contemporary artists and creative visionaries to engage with its permanent collection. The exhibition — opening June 13, 2026, and running through November 9, 2026 — is co-curated by artist Jiha Moon and Bechtler Curator Dr. Katia Zavistovski and unfolds across galleries on the first, second and third floors, creating new conversations between past and present.
Born in South Korea and based in the American South for more than two decades, Moon’s multidisciplinary practice draws on layered cultural references and historical art traditions that bridge East and West, regional and global, traditional and contemporary. For this exhibition, she brings together a selection of works from the Bechtler’s permanent collection that examine representations of women across time, considering how they have been depicted by others and how they have shaped their own image. Highlighting works by modern and contemporary artists, the exhibition presents multiple perspectives and artistic styles, interweaving Moon’s own paintings, ceramics and prints with those from the museum’s holdings.
“Collection, Reframed embodies the Bechtler’s commitment to making our permanent collection a living, evolving conversation,” said Todd D. Smith, Executive Director of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. “Jiha Moon brings a distinctive voice that connects regional and international artists, historical and contemporary voices, and invites our audiences to encounter familiar works through an entirely new lens.”
● In the Plaza Gallery, located in the museum’s lobby, Moon chose to feature the works of several artists, including Gina Gilmour, Meret Oppenheim, Pablo Picasso, Elizabeth Turk and Shaun Cassidy, alongside examples from her own practice. Together, these works create a dynamic visual connection shaped by contrasts and unexpected affinities.
● On the second floor, Moon reflects on the roles of women as makers, muses and subjects of representation. Selections from Walasse Ting’s 1¢ Life portfolio (1964) — a remarkable collection of lithographs by 28 artists including Ting, Karel Appel, Joan Mitchell, Kiki Kogelnik, and Andy Warhol — are presented alongside paintings from the museum’s holdings by artists such as Bridget Riley and Tom Wesselmann, and examples of Moon’s prints. The result is a narrative across generations about identity, visibility, and self-definition.
● On the third floor, Moon highlights an intimate, spiritual sense of female presence. A haunting textile by artist Hannele Ollakka shares space with surreal paintings by Julie Curtiss and Alberto Giacometti.
“For this Collection, Reframed project, my vision was to bring a wide range of artists into dialogue through selections that challenge us to think about how we define one’s roots, cultures, spirituality, and political frameworks,” said Moon. “I hope this exhibition will be a dialogue between my practice and the Bechtler’s collection, inviting viewers to encounter familiar objects through a new lens.”
“Jiha Moon’s vision for this exhibition opens up the Bechtler’s collection in unexpected and compelling ways,” said Dr. Zavistovski. “By placing modern art in conversation with contemporary art practices across all three floors of the museum, she invites our visitors to reconsider how women have been seen, represented, and have represented themselves—and to find connections that move fluidly between regional and global perspectives.”
Drawing on themes of identity, place, and cultural exchange, Moon’s curatorial approach gives particular attention to often underrecognized regional artists working within an international context. Initially inspired by North Carolina artist Gina Gilmour, the exhibition gathers works that lean toward narrative and seemingly incongruous imagery, suggesting how polarized ideas can coexist in what Moon describes as “a kind of chaotic harmony.”
About Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, a gem in the Southern art landscape and in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, is devoted to modern art and its legacies. The cornerstone of its holdings are works by European and American artists collected by the Zürich-based Bechtler family and gifted to the museum by Andreas Bechtler and his family, who have long called Charlotte home. Represented here are some of the most influential figures of 20th-century modernism, including Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, Pablo Picasso, Bridget Riley and Andy Warhol, among others. Opened in 2010, the museum is focused on the global scope of modernism and its continued relevance, with changing exhibitions that feature both well-known and underrepresented modern and contemporary artists. The museum building, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, features Niki de Saint Phalle’s iconic Le Grand Oiseau de Feu sur l’Arche (The Large Firebird on the Arch) on its entrance plaza. The Bechtler also serves as a hub for live music, artist talks, cocktail hours for young creatives and family events. For more: www.bechtler.org.
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